Bracelet cord clasp



Sept. 27, 1938. E. PRESTINARI I 2,131,454

BRACELET CORD CLASP Filed July 7, 1936 I V 0 E q 7/10 //IIIIIA'IINVENTOR Eugen Prestinari 66%, am HQMZ ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 27, 1938UNITED STATES BRACELET CORD CLASP Eugen Prestinari, Summit, N. J.,assignor to Gemex Company, Newark, N. J., a corporation of New JerseyApplication July 7, 1936, Serial No. 89,319

10 Claims. (01. 24-265) This invention relates to a fastening device andmore particularly to a clasp for the bracelet cord of a wrist watch orthe like.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a clasp for thebracelet cord of a wrist watch or the like which is simple and sturdy inconstruction and pleasing in appearance. Another object is to provide aclasp of the above nature, the manufacture of which is readilyaccomplished with inexpensive materials. Another object is to provide aclasp of the above nature which may be easily operated by the user, andwhich securely clasps the end of a pliable cord. Another object is toprovide a clasp of the above nature from which the end of the cord maybe easily released. Other objects will be in part apparent and in partpointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts as will beexemplified v in the structure to be hereinafter described and the scopeof the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing in which is shown two of the variouspossible embodiments of my invention,

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a bracelet cord, one end of which issecured in my clasp;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of my clasp;

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the operating lever of the clasp;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the gripping member of the clasp;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the housing member of the clasp;

Figure '7 is an elevation of the gripping end of the link showing theoperating lever and gripping member in folded or gripping position; and,

Figure 8 is a sectional elevation similar to Figure 3 of a modificationof my clasp.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral figures of the drawing.

In order that certain features of my invention may be more readilyunderstood, it mightbe well first to point out that numerousdifliculties are encountered not only in the manufacture, but also inthe operation of clasps for pliable bracelet cords or the like. Many ofthese clasps are inherently incapable of securely gripping or fasteningthe end or ends of a bracelet cord, while others, though able tosecurely grip the cord, can not maintain the grip with any degree ofpermanency. Such clasps often readily become uniastened while in use,accordingly releasing the bracelet cord much to the inconvenience of thewearer and often to the damage of the watch to which the cord issecured. Still other clasps of 5 this nature are characterized byconsiderable complication and multiplication of parts, necessitatingextensive labor in their assembly because of the minute nature of thevarious parts. Still other clasps of this nature are quite fragile and10 often break under conditions of normal use. Some clasps, in order toovercome the disadvantages of fragility, are so cumbersome as to presentan unattractive appearance when assembled with the bracelet cord andwrist watch. It is accordingly another object of this invention torectify the above conditions in a thoroughly practical and eflicientmanner.

Referring now to the drawing, and particularly to Figure 1, a braceletcord III has secured to one end Illa. thereof in any suitable manner, awrist watch I l. The other end of cord I0 is secured on fastening devicegenerally indicated at l2, fastening device l2 preferably being attachedto an expansible buckle or the like 9.

As better shown in Figure 2, clasp l2 comprises a housing generallyindicated at I3 in which are 13a having a cut out portion IS!) in oneend thereof which forms a bar portion I or the like by which clasp l2(Figure 1) may be secured to' buckle 9. Extending upwardly from bottomportion i3a' (Figure 6) of the housing are side portions Nd and l3ehaving formed therein respectively holes l6 and I1. Side portions l3dand He are also respectively provided with holes I8 and i 9 whichreceive a pin 20 pivotally supporting 40 gripping member l5 (see Figure3). Pin 20 (Figure 6) also supports a coil spring 2|, which is providedwith ends 2la. and 2| b for a purpose pointed out hereinafter.

As is better shown in Figure 3, a stop or abutment 22 is formed onbottom l3a of housing It preferably directly to the right of opening libin housing bottom i311, this stop being provided for a purpose disclosedhereinafter.

- Referring now to Figure 4, operating lever I4 is preferably U-shapedin form, thus comprising l'egs I40. and Nb and a connecting portion orcross bar I40. Preferably legs a and Nb are tapered .in form, havingformed in the small ends thereof arcuate portions lid and Me for apurpose pointed out hereinafter. Extending away from and preferablyintegral with cross bar Ilc, I provide a finger piece l2 by which theoperating lever is actuated. As is better shown in Figure 3, cross barIlc is preferably hook shaped. On the large ends of tapered legs Ila(Figure 4) and Ilb of the operating lever, I provide pivot pins 23 and2l which are preferably formed integrally with the legs. As is moreclearly shown in Figure 2, pivot pin 23 extends through hole H inhousing side or wall lie. Pivot pin 2l (Figure 4) similarly lies withinhole I6 (Figure 6) in housing wall lid. Thus operating lever (Figure 2)is readily assembled in and is freely pivotable with respect to housingl3.

With reference to Figure 5, gripper Ii preferably comprises a topportion lia from one end of which extend bifurcations lib and lie havingsecured thereto or formed integrally therewith eyelets 25 and 26 whichpreferably are coaxial and spaced. Extending from the other end of thegripper top I-ia is a suitably toothed gripping portion lid havingformed on opposite sides thereof shoulders l3 and ll, provided for apurpose lever legs Ila and Ilb so that when lever Il and gripper Ii (seeFigure 7) are intheir folded or securing position the gripper liesbetween the lever legs Ila and Ilb. Also, gripping portion lid of thegripper is so dimensioned that when in its folded or gripping positionits toothed edge is slightly spaced from bottom lie of housing I3(Figure 7) Thus, as is more clearly shown in Figures. 2 and 3, eyelets2i and 26 are pivotally disposed on opposite end portions of pin 20 sothat spring 2| lies between the eyelets. Thus gripper I5 is arranged inrelation to spring 2I in such a manner that end 2Ia of the spring bearsagainst gripper top Iia while spring end 2Il bears against housingbottom lid to constantly urge gripper Ii upwardly into an open ornongripping position as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Gripper 15, however,is limited in its opening movement by stop 22, which is preferably soproportioned as-to permit the gripper to open sufficiently to enable theeasy insertion of the end of bracelet cord III into housing I3 (seeFigure 3). In this connection, it should be noted that the entry end (i.e. the right hand end of housing l3 as viewed in Figure 2) issubstantially unobstructed due to the manner in which the pivotalmounting of operating lever Il is effected. It should also be noted thatstop 22 is so proportioned as to prevent gripper Ii from swinging out ofthe path of movement of operating lever Il. Otherwise the gripper, underthe influence of'spring 2|, would swing into a relatively inaccessibleposition.

It may now be seen that operating lever Il and gripper Ii are relativelypivotable and in order' that these two parts may properly coact tosecure the end of bracelet cord l within housing I3, it is desirablethat the holes l8 and I9 inhousing walls I 3d and lie be spaced fromholes I6 and I I in the housing walls a distance substantially equal tothe distance between the pivotal axis of operating lever ll and a linedrawn through the centers of arcuate portions I ld and Ile in lever legsIla and Ilb so that when the lever and gripper are folded down' intohousing I3, arcuate portions Ild and Ile fit over eyelets 2i and 23 onthe gripper. Furthermore, I prefer to form operating lever I landgripper I in such a manner that when they are in their foldedposition, as shown in Figure '7, the tops of both are substanially flushwith the top edges of housing walls lid and I3e..

In operation, with reference to Figure 3, the end of bracelet cord IIIis inserted into the unobstructed gripping end of clasp I2. Thereafter,gripper Ii is forced downwardly with a clockwise movement as viewed inFigure 3, until its gripping portion lid engages cord I0. Gripper Ii isheld in this position while operating lever ll is swung downwardly witha counterclockwise rotation until lever legs Ila and llb (Figure 2)engage shoulders l3 and ll respectively on the gripping end of gripperIi. It may readily be seen that further counterclockwise movement oflever Il (Figure 3) forces the teeth on the end of the gripper intobiting engagement with cord III, this movement of lever Il beingcontinued until its hook shaped cross bar section llc snaps over thecurved portion lie of the gripper which joins gripper top Iia andbifurcations lib and I 50. It may now be seen that during this lattermovement of lever I l, the lower edges of lever legs Ila and Ilb actlike cams against gripper shoulders l3 and ll to force the gripper intobiting engagement with cord I0 wherein it is securely held by theresilient engagement between lever cross bar Ilc and the curved endportion lie of. gripper Ii. While the engagement between lever ll and"gripper Ii readily resists any casual forces tending to effect theirdisengagement, these parts may be readily separated or opened by upwardpressure of the finger nail under finger piece l2. Immediately upondisengagement of hook shaped cross bar Ilc of the lever from curvedportion lie of the gripper, spring 2I snaps the two pivoting parts intodisengagement to permit easy removal of bracelet cord III, stop 22preventing gripper Ii from swinging out of the path of movement ofoperating lever Il.

It may now be seen that my clasp I0, although simply constructed, isreadily operable to grip efliciently the end of a bracelet cord.

Another embodiment of my clasp, shown in Figure '8, comprises generallyan assembly of parts similar in many respects both in construction andarrangement to the several parts comprising gripper I2 as shown inFigure 2. Accordingly, the clasp which is generally indicated at 30 inFigure 8 comprises a housing generally indicated at 3l, which issubstantially similar to housing I3 (Figure 6). Housing 3| thuspivotally mounts a gripper generally indicated at 32 and an operatinglever generally indicated at 33; gripper 32 being urged upwardly by theopposite ends of a spring ll) substantially similar to spring 2I (Figure6). Extending upwardly from bottom portion 3Ia of the housing is a stopor abutment 3l, which is positioned in relation to gripp r 32 insubstantially the same manner as that of stop 22 and gripper Ii (Figure3). Stop 3l (Figure 8), however, is preferably longer than stop 22 so asto limit the raising or opening action of gripper 32 to a greater extentthan that of gripper Ii, for a purpose described hereinafter.

Gripper 32 is provided with shoulders 32a, substantially similar toshoulders 43 and ll of gripper Ii (Figure 5) and these Shoulders coact Iwith legs 33a (Figure 8) of lever 33 as in the case of gripper I2. Legs33a of lever 33, however,

gripping engagement between the gripper and cord III, as will be pointedout hereinafter.

Operating lever 33 is provided with a hookshaped cross bar section 33bwhich, when lever 33 and gripper 32 are folded together, engages roundedgripper portion 32b to maintain the two parts in gripping position.

In operation, the end of bracelet cord I3 is inserted in housing 3| andoperating lever 33 is swung in a counterclockwise direction as viewed inFigure 8. As stop 34 has limited the upward or opening movement ofgripper 32, gripper shoulders 32a are so positioned as to be engaged bylever legs 330. at a point thereon where continued counterclockwisemovement of lever 33 effects downward or clockwise movement of gripper32 without the necessity of first forcing gripper 32 downward as in thecase of gripper l2 in Figure 2. It may now be seen that continuedcounterclockwise or closing movement of lever 33 forces gripper 32against the bias of spring 40 into biting engagement with cord l whereit is held against casual displacement by frictional engagement betweencross bar hook 33b of the lever with rounded portion 32b of the gripper.The gripper and lever are readily separated from their folded orgripping position by pulling up wardly against a finger piece 330projecting from lever 33.

It may now be seen that while clasp 33 and clasp l2 are similar in manyrespects, clasp 30 is operated through manual actuation of the operatinglever only, that is, in order to effect biting engagement betweengripper 32 and cord l0 it is unnecessary to swing gripper 32 downwardlypreliminary to engaging its shoulders 32a by the legs of lever 33. Itmay further be seen that gripper 30 may be rapidly and efllcientlyoperated either to grip or release the bracelet cord, as the arcuatelegs 33a of lever 33 are. in effect, cams against which grippershoulders 32a act as followers during the operation of the lever toeffect a secure clasp of the end of the bracelet cord. As in the case ofclasp l2 (Figure 7) lever 33 and gripper 32 of clasp 30 (Figure 8)preferably fold together so as to lie substantially between the walls ofhousing 3| and accordingly present a substantially smooth surface.

Accordingly, I have provided a clasp for securing the end of a braceletcord which fulfills the several objects and purposes pointed outhereinabove in a thoroughly practical and efficient manner.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention and asmany changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is tobe understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth, or shown in theaccompanying drawing, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a device of the nature described, in combination, a housingadapted to receive the end of a pliable cord, a member pivotallyassociated with said housing and movable into gripping relation withsaid cord, a cam part pivotally mounted in said housing and swingablefrom a disengaged position into engagement with said member to forcesaid member into its gripping position, said member being no longer thanthe distance between the pivotal axes of the member and said cam partand means for frictionally engaging said member to maintain said memberin its gripping position.

2. In a device of the nature described, in combination, a housingadapted to receive the end of a pliable cord, a gripping memberpivotallymounted in said housing and pivotable into gripping engagementwith said cord, and a substantially U-shaped operating member having itsends pivotally mounted in the cord receiving end of said housing wherebysaid'cord receiving end of the housing is substantially'unobstructed topermit the insertion of the cord end therein, said operating memberincluding portions which engage portions of said gripping member toforce said gripping member into gripping relation with said cord.

r 3. In a device of the nature described, in combination, a housingadapted to'receive the end of a. pliable cord, a gripping memberpivotally mounted in said housing and pivotable into gripping engagementwith said cord, a substantially U-shaped operating member having itsends pivotally mounted in the cord receiving end of said housing wherebysaid cord receiving end of the housing is substantially unobstructed topermit the insertion of the cord end therein, said operating memberincluding portions whichengage portions of said gripping member to forcesaid gripping member into gripping relation with said cord, andmeansbiasing one of said members toward a non-gripping position.

4. In a device of the nature described, in combination, a housingadapted to receive the end of a pliable cord, a gripping memberpivotally mounted in said housing and pivotable into gripping engagementwith said cord, a substantially U-shaped operating member pivotallymounted on said housing, said gripping member being provided withshoulders lying in the path of movement of said operating member duringpivotal movement thereof whereby said operating member engages saidshoulder and forces said gripping member into gripping relation withsaid cord, and means for maintaining said members in grippingrelationship with said cord.

5. In a device'of the nature described, in combination, a channel shapedhousing, a gripper pivotally connected to the sides of said housing andadapted to lie therebetween when in gripping position, central portionsof said gripper being narrower than the distance between the sides ofsaid housing to provide a space between said gripper portion and one ofthe sides of the hous ing when the gripper is in gripping position, anda lever pivotally connected to a side of said housing and operable toforce said gripper into gripping position, said lever being formed tofit into said space when said gripper is in gripping position.

6. In a device of the nature described, in combination, a channel shapedhousing, a gripper pivotally connected to the sides of said housing andadapted to lie therebetween when in gripping position, portions of saidgripper being narrower than the distance between the sides of saidhousing to provide spaces between said gripper portion and the sides ofthe housing when the gripper is in gripping position, and a U-shapedmember having its legs pivotallyconnected to the sides of said housingand operable to close down on and hold said gripper in grippingposition, the legs of said U-shaped member being formed to fit into saidspaces when said gripper and said member are in gripping position.

7. In a device of the nature described, in combination, a channel shapedhousing, a gripper pivotally connected to the sides of said housing andadapted to lie therebetween when in gripnected to the sides of saidhousingand operable to close down on and hold said gripper in grippingposition, the legs of said U-shaped member being formed to fit into saidspaces when said gripper and said member arein gripping position, andspring means constantly biasing said gripper toward non-grippingposition.

8. In a device of the nature described, in combination, a housing formedtoreceive the end of a pliable cord, a gripping member pivotally mountedin said housing including a portion movable therewith into a positionwithin the walls of said housing to grip said cord, thewalls and bottomof said housing being substantially coextensive, and an operating memberpivotally secured to said housing and movable from a disengaged positioninto engagement with said gripping member to close down on and hold saidgripping member portion in gripping engagement with said cord, saidoperating member having spaced portions which lie on opposite sides ofand embrace said gripping member when both of said members are ingripping relationship.

9. In a clasp for gripping a pliable bracelet cord or the like, incombination, a channelshaped housing, a gripper member pivotallyconnected to said housing and adapted to grip said cord, and a leverpivotally connected to said housing at a point substantially spaced fromsaid gripper member closely adjacent one end of said housing, said leverbeing pivotable towards said gripper to engage and move said gripperinto gripping position, the pivotal axis of said lever being spacedabove the pivotal axis oi the per.

10. In a device of the nature described, in combination, a housingadapted to receive the end of a pliable bracelet cord, said housinghaving side walls connected by a web portion, a gripping memberpivotally mounted in said housing between said side walls and pivotablefrom a position outside of said housing into said housing toward saidweb portion to grip said cord, and an operating. member pivotallyconnected to said housing between said side walls near the end of saidhousing, the pivotal axis of said operating member being substantiallyspaced from said web portion whereby the cord receiving end of thehousing is substantially unobstructed to permit the insertion of thecord end therein, said operating member having portions which engageportions of said gripping member to force the gripping member intogripping relation with said cord.

EUGEN PRESTINARI.

